Andalib Akhter / AMN
Opposition members in Rajya Sabha today took exception to the alleged remarks made by defence minister Manohar Parrikar against Bollywood actor Amir Khan.
Raising the issue during Zero hour, Members from Congress, TMC , CPIM, Samajwadi party and others strongly condemned the alleged remark made by defence minister saying those responsible for Raksha (Security) of the people are creating Asurksha (insecurity) among them.
Raising the issue during zero hour, TMC member Derek O’Brien hit out at defence minister saying such threat was not expected from people sitting on such a high position.
The Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad wanted to know from the Minister what kind of lesson he intends to teach to the members of the minority.
“Yeh Pakistan ko Dhamki nahi de sakte yeh apne logon ko hi dhamkate hain” said leader of the opposition in the House Ghulam Nabi Azad.
CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said that Minister remark confirmed that organised bullying & commercial boycott of those who disagree with RSS-BJP is their politics.
He said the Defence Minister’s reported remarks are objectionable.
Parrikar was in house when the opposition member raised the issue. Amid the din Parrikar asked members to see the video of his speech to which members said they had seen it and the comment made by hi was highly derogatory. “It was not expected from people sitting on such a high post” said member.
On Saturday, at a function to launch the Marathi edition of a book by journalist Nitin Gokhale, Parrikar had said “When the actor did this… then the company which he was endorsing was… an online trading company. Some of our people are very smart, I know. There was a team which was working on this. They were telling people you order and return it… The company should learn a lesson, they had to pull his advertisement.”
Parrikar did not take name but his refernce was obvious. Last November, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan said that his wife Kiran Rao wondered aloud to him whether they should move out of India, as she feared for the safety of their children in a climate of insecurity. That was the time when the issue of “rising intolerance” in India was being hotly debated, and when several artists and authors returned government awards to protest the “intolerance”.
Later Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar clarified that his words didn’t specifically pointed out at anyone.
“I am just saying that we should mount pressure, verbally condemn people who speak against nation. I didn’t specifically pointed out at anyone,” said Parrikar.